Should Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSLC) Be on Your Investing Radar?
The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSLC) was launched on September 17, 2015, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Goldman Sachs Funds. It has amassed assets over $15.08 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Blend
Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.
Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.09%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.96%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF’s holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector — about 36.2% of the portfolio. Financials and Telecom round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) accounts for about 7.54% of total assets, followed by Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT).
The top 10 holdings account for about 33.59% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
GSLC seeks to match the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity Index before fees and expenses. The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of large-capitalization U.S. issuers.
The ETF has added roughly 5.77% so far this year and is up roughly 17.98% in the last one year (as of 06/26/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $120.74 and $144.19.
The ETF has a beta of 0.99 and standard deviation of 14.55% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 445 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, GSLC is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box – Large Cap Blend segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares (VOO) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $824.15 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $965.95 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO charges 0.03%.
Bottom-Line
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GSLC): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).